Locus of Control and the Labor Market

Abstract

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Locus of control and performance appraisal

“…Workers with selfcontrol problems do not exert as much effort as they would like. Performance pay can help mitigate such problems (Jain 2012, Kaur et al 2010, 2015, O'Donoghue and Rabin 1999. To the extent that rewards depend on meeting specific deadlines and performance targets, workers with self-control problems are encouraged to work harder.…”

“…Cobb-Clark (2015: p. 1) identifies the recent reframing of traditional models to accommodate such skills as drivers of market outcomes as "one of the most exciting developments in labor economics over the past decade." Among the fundamental personality characteristics researchers examine has been the locus of control, the extent to which individuals think that their actions cause the consequences they encounter.…”

Locus of control and marital satisfaction: Couple perspectives using Australian data

“…More broadly, internal LOC has been found to be correlated with academic performance, health behaviors, employees' well-being, experiencing less job stress, and labor market success in general (see Cobb-Clark (2015) for a review).…”

Family Instability and Locus of Control in Adolescence

“…We investigate the potential impact of family instability, captured as maternal partnership transitions, on one specific non-cognitive skill measure, locus of control. Various studies show that locus of control is a particularly important non-cognitive skill that explains an individual's educational attainment, health, and future labor market outcomes, including earnings or length of unemployment (see e. g. Caliendo et al 2015;Kaestner and Callison 2011 as well as reviews by Almlund et al 2011;Cobb-Clark and Schurer 2013;Cobb-Clark 2014). The results of Barón and Cobb-Clark (2010) indicate that having an internal locus of control is associated with more positive educational outcomes.…”

“…Caliendo et al (2015) also find that a higher internal locus of control is beneficial for the search strategies of those who become unemployed. As summarized by Cobb-Clark (2014), workers with an internal locus of control seek out more complex jobs and have better job performance. Those with an internal locus of control also tend to set more challenging goals, persist in the face of adversity, and experience less job stress.…”